This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Gastroparesis is a devastating disease affecting predominantly young women. The symptomatic profile of gastroparesis includes nausea (90% of patients), vomiting (>80%), pain (~50%), early satiety (60%) and bloating (75%) and can vary in both the combination of symptoms and their severity. Because of its chronic, and often intractable nature, the disorder has a tremendous impact on both patients and society at large. Gastroparesis remains difficult to treat, in large part because of the lack of knowledge of the underlying pathophysiology of this disease. Several factors, in particular, have impeded the progress in this field including the paucity of patients seen by any one center, the absence of uniform diagnostic criteria, the lack of generally available, reliable methods for physiological testing and the inaccessibility of tissue for histopathological correlation. Given the complexity of the problem, and the profound degree of morbidity currently associated with this disorder, a compelling need exists to study patients in a systematic, concerted manner. Such studies can best be achieved by recruiting patients and collecting data from multiple centers as part of a large network of investigators focused on this disorder. In recognition of this fact, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), through the mechanism of RFA DK 05 004, established the Gastroparesis Clinical Research Consortium in 2006.